What’s The Difference Between R22 and R410a Refrigerant? (And What Does It Mean For New Jersey Homeowners?)

Major changes have been happening in the HVAC industry for the past 25 years and they directly affect homeowners and businesses throughout the nation. In accordance with the Clean Air Act, the R22 refrigerant is being phased out and alternative refrigerants, such asR410a, are being introduced. This will have big implications for New Jersey homeowners who may be looking to repair or replace their air conditioner unit this spring. In the following blog, we’ll review the difference between R22 and R410a refrigerant and how the phase-out can directly impact you and your home’s cooling system.

What Is the Difference Between R22 and R410a Refrigerant?

Used for over two decades, chlorodifluoromethane, commonly known as R22, was the standard refrigerant in air conditioners. However, the concerns with using R22 refrigerant is that it is not only less efficient, but also less environmentally friendly than alternative refrigerants such as R410a.

What to Do if Your AC Uses R22?

If your AC unit was manufactured after January 2010, the R22 refrigerant phase-out probably won’t affect you. But if it was manufactured before that date, you’ll need to take action soon. Not sure when your unit was manufactured? Call in the professional HVAC technicians at Brown’s to help walk you through the process of determining that and finding out if your unit currently uses R22.

Since the government-mandated shift to phase out R22 refrigerant completely by 2020 (just two years from now), it is no longer manufactured in North America, which means the decreased supply has a hefty price tag.

You have basically two options:

Keep using recycled R22 to replenish your older systems until 2020.

Invest in a more environmentally-friendly air conditioning unit that uses the approved R410a refrigerant without contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer.

It’s worth noting, that because the R410a refrigerant requires different air conditioner components, you are not able to replenish an AC system that currently uses the R22 refrigerant with the R410a refrigerant.

What Does the Difference Between R22 vs. R410a Refrigerant Mean For New Jersey Homeowners?

If your home or business AC unit is nearing the end of its operating life, the R22 phase-out is a good reason to upgrade your system. R410a is not only more efficient at absorbing and releasing heat than R22 refrigerant but also reduces the risk of your system overheating and breaking down.

Special HVAC Offer with Brown’s Heating, Cooling and Plumbing

Schedule your A/C special appointment now for only $99.95 for our 10-point Spring Service including a 1″ or 2″ filter change (5″ filters are additional and the refrigerant is not included).

Or, take $40 off any air conditioning repair.

Hurry, both offers expire 6/30/2018.

Offering reliable emergency HVAC services for residential and commercial throughout Monmouth and Ocean County, NJ and surrounding areas, Brown’s is here to help any day, night 24/7! Call our experts at 732-741-0694 to find out more.